Information About the Area from our Experts

Traffic & Commuting

Residents love that Highland shares a border with the San Bernardino National Forest. On the weekend, businessmen and women can trade in their suits for a crisp t-shirt and embark to nearby locales like Lake Arrowhead, Silverwood Lake, the Valley of Enchantment, or Big Bear Lake. All of these hot spots are within 30 miles of Highland. Unfortunately, living here will involve both work and play. If you have a job in San Bernardino or Riverside, they are five miles and 20 miles away, respectively. Los Angeles is a 66 mile commute, and with traffic it can take over 90 minutes. So, while this isn’t a great commuter city for LA workers, it’s perfect for closer cities like Riverside, and for weekend adventures in nature.

Economy and Jobs

Highland was affected more by the Recession than most Californian cities. Local companies went under, residents were getting laid off, and before we could digest what was happening the unemployment rate spiked to 18.2% at the beginning of 2010. Now, two years later, the city is doing better, but still hasn’t recovered its pre-Recession levels. The unemployment rate was at 15% the last time I checked (May 2012), which is still nearly double the national average. A lot of the struggles in the area were the result of San Bernardino’s hardships; just this month the city filed for bankruptcy. Hopefully the area can rebound now that the hardest part is out of the way, but I would recommend doing a job search here before you decide to rent.